TV Show Breathes New Life Into Upstate Village

Sleepy Hollow Sees Tourism Uptick Because of New Fox Drama

By

Jo Piazza

Oct. 6, 2013 10:14 p.m. ET

SLEEPY HOLLOW, N.Y.—This somnolent village on the eastern bank of the Hudson River has long drawn tourists seeking a glimpse of upstate's display of autumn foliage, but now residents say they're seeing signs of another tourism boom.

ENLARGE

A tour group makes its way through Sleepy Hollow Cemetery in Sleepy Hollow, N.Y., on Saturday.
Claudio Papapietro for The Wall Street Journal

"Sleepy Hollow," the Fox television drama based loosely on "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow," the Washington Irving short story, has generated interest in the village where the show takes place.

"Things are definitely heating up because of the show," said Anthony Giaccio, the village administrator.

He said traffic to the village's website has doubled and is bombarded with hits after each airing of the show, which had its premiere on Sept. 16 to strong ratings. He said he and others have noticed more people than normal "meandering around town during the day" and exploring the 164-year-old Sleepy Hollow Cemetery, where Irving is buried along with other notable figures.

Sleepy Hollow is home to about 9,000 people, a modern New York City suburb that bears little resemblance to the spooky countryside hamlet that Irving made up for his short story. The village was originally known as North Tarrytown, but in 1996 the town voted to change the name.

In Irving's story, a lanky schoolteacher named Ichabod Crane is terrorized by a headless horseman, a Hessian soldier whose head had been removed by an errant cannonball in the Revolutionary War. The TV show involves time travel and takes place mostly in a contemporary setting but uses Ichabod Crane, the horseman and other central characters.

Jeannie Galgano, who sells souvenirs outside the entrance to the cemetery, including a $20 T-shirt that reads, "I Left My Head in Sleepy Hollow," said three things have made the village a popular destination in recent years: the village's name change; the 1999 Johnny Depp move "Sleepy Hollow"; and the Fox TV show.

ENLARGE

Washington Irving's grave site is one of Sleepy Hollow's attractions.
Claudio Papapietro for The Wall Street Journal

"About 80% of the people coming to town this year are asking me about the TV show," Ms. Galgano said.

The cemetery's superintendent, Jim Logan, estimates traffic is already up 30% this season. Larger-than-average crowds have gathered around Irving's grave.

"Tours have been sold out for the past couple of weeks. That's not normal for September," said Aaron Newcome, a cemetery tour guide.

Crowds have gathered, too, along the Headless Horseman Bridge, where many folks tucked their heads into zipped-up jackets to imitate the fictional murderer in Instagram photos.

The first weekend of October saw tables packed at town restaurants, the aptly named Horseman and JP Doyle's Public House, where co-owner Brian Doyle has increased his fall staff in anticipation of attention from the TV series.

"The phone is ringing a lot more for reservations this year," Mr. Doyle said. "And we're seeing a lot more diverse area codes when they call."

One of the most popular items on the menu is the bacon- and cheddar-laden Horseman Burger.

Fall has long been a busy tourism period in the Hudson Valley, but Mr. Giaccio said he is hoping the show will do for Sleepy Hollow what "The Office" did for Scranton, Pa., which that show's fans visit all year long and where its actors make appearances from time to time

"We are capitalizing on the idea of the real Sleepy Hollow. Obviously, people are going to want to explore this place they see on TV," Mr. Giaccio said.

Not everyone is confident the show will bring tourists from outside the region.

"It is great that folks in, say, Arizona are getting exposed to the Sleepy Hollow brand through the TV show, but I don't know if it translates into more ticket sales," said Rob Schweitzer, a spokesman for Historic Hudson Valley, a group that promotes the history and architecture of the area. "I hope I am wrong about that."

Mr. Giaccio said he wanted the show's premiere to take place in the village, but it didn't work out.

Kristen Osborne, the show's publicist, said getting the actors to Sleepy Hollow in time was impossible—they began production in July, just two months before the premiere. When things slow down, it might be possible for the actors and the show's producers to trek to the Hollow, she said.

"It's a goal of ours to eventually do something with the town," Ms. Osborne said.

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